Speedometer-driving mechanism.



A. LOMIS.

SPEEDVOMETER DRIVING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILEDA I ULY 5 1912.

VPatented lApr. 18, 1916.

2 "SHEETS-SHEET l.

v [NI/ENTOR Allomgy's vA. LooMls.

sPEEnoMETER nmvlNG'MEcHANxsn/l.

APPLICATION FILED lULY 5| 1912. 1,179,443. Patented Apr. 18,1916.

2- SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Z I i Attorneys.

'UisrrED sria'rns OFFICE- LOOMIS, OF DETROIT, lVliICI-IIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO PACKARD MOTOR CR COM- PANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

4 SPEEDOMETER-DRIVING MECIIANISM.

specifiaaon yf Letters Patnt. I 'Patented Apr.' 1s, 1916.

'Application' mea July 5, 1912. serial No. 707,932.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN Loomis, a citizen of the United' States, and resident of Detroit, Wayne county, lState of Michigan,

f have invented a certain new and useful Improvement l1n Speedometer-Drlving Mechanism, of whlch the following 1s a spec1fication. V

Thisl invention relates to motor vehicles and more particularly to the steering' wheels thereof and their mounting, and speedometer mechanism in said mounting.

In'order that the steering mechanism may be subjected to as'little strain as possible so that steering the vehicle will not be difficult, it has been customary4 heretofore to place the vertical axis or pivot of the steering spindle dle from a connection with the hub cap of inner end'of the spindle. It is necessary to have a housing of some kind for these gears and because the vertical axis or pivot bolt off the spindle is-so close to the wheel hub,'there is little, if any, 'room for the gearing at that point. l

It is desirable tol have the speedometer driving mechanism arranged on the interior of thesteering wheel vspindle' because this mechanism is usuallyjof very light construction and when so arranged is .thoroughly protected from injury. In order therefore to adapt the steering spindle to this type of -speedometer driving mechanism I have provided tlie spindle with a vertical pivot bolt which is arranged wholly at one side of the horizontal axis of the spindle. This arrangement may be carried out by having what is known as a trailing spindle wherein the vertical axis or pivot is arranged slightly` in advance of the horizontal axis around which 'the wheel revolves; By. this varrangement thev axis lof the wheel is arranged slightly in the rear of the'stationary of the wheel instead of the Wheel to a pair of beveled gears in the axle when the wheel is in the neutral position: The arrangementmay also be carried out by having the vertical axis or pivot of the spindle arranged wholly below the axis partlyabove and' partly below asis usual.

The invention consists further in'providing improved means for connecting the driving shaft with the wheel h'ub.

rIhe novel features ofthe invention will be taken in connection with the-'accompanying drawings in which, Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a wheel hub mounted on 'a spindle of the trailing type; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the-'direction of the arrow; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a modified form of the4 invention and is taken on the line 3-3 of'Fig. t;l Fig. 4 is a section'on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 with certain parts broken away.

Referring to 1 of the drawings, 10

indicates the usual stationary axle at the front of the vehicle, thisv axle being provided at its end with the vertically arranged sleeve 11 in-which is arranged pivot bolt 12 A steering -spindlej13 having a base portion- 13 is pro-vided with spaced arms 14 which receive the pivot bolt 12, the arms being provided with suitable bushings 15 to act as bearings for the bolt. At the top ofthe upper arm 14 is av cap 16 on which may be moimted a grease cup 17 for .the purpose of lu-bricatingvthe bolt 12. It will be noted;

that the spindle is of the trailing type-in which the axis is offset from-or tangential to the axis ofthe bolt 12, which permits the inner end of the spindle or steering knuckle t be enlarged and provided with a cavity arranged in line with the axis of the spindle,

r as hereinafter described.

The -spindle 13 has arranged thereonthe roller bearings 18 and-19l on which is arranged the-hub 2O of the wheel 21. 'The hub cap 22 is secured to the hubby means of screw threads 23 or any other suitable Thel wheel andthe bearings are removably held in place on the spindle 13 by means 0f the nut 24. The spindle 13 is provided with an axle bore in which are arrangedthe roller bearings 25 and 26 for the speedometer driving shaft 27. The shaft 2 7 has mounted on the inner end thereof beyond the bearing 25 a bevell gear 28 lthe'bfise pertion 13 ef the shaft 30 is 'pr serebiy {ir-rangen in bearing sleeve eri the 'be e portion lll et the spindle is prei/'ideal Witl e thre sa. reeese in axial filinenient 'with the Shen i? to re ceiie the threaded eleeve ai', the enti @it the flexible tube 2.35 in which arranged the flexible shaft which is eonneetefiwitlfi the speedometer' (net shawn). ihe enti` .of 4the cavity is elo-see?. bye suitable eener plete 37, sind by removal et this cover plete tne gears and e9 ere .rendered accessible.

The outer end ei the 2i' neigen ably provicleci with .e 'Squared pertion 38.

which engeges the square tube having; its outer erich arranged in e suitable recess on the inner sifle 0i 'ehe heb nep 2"( By this arrangement it Will be seen that the shaft 27 'will be vdriven elireetly yby the vheb A@ep and sineethe tube 39 loeeeij,T eng-ages the end the shaft 2'? the hub cap may .be readily removed., the tube being vremoved vwith the cap. The reinov'al of the hub Cap doesnot disturb the shaft 27 or the bearings I for the Wheel. 2l.

The shafts I? and 30 may be remeveclby taking ofi the @over plate 31" and Withclra'iiiing the'pin. 32. When the pin 32 has been removed the shaft 30 may be Withdrawn the'gear) taken out. gear 28 and the shaft 27 to be Withdrawn in Werdiy 'Without disturbing the hub cap or the bearings' for the Wheel. Sincethe 'ver tical pivot of the spindle is arranged forT Wardly ot' the axis of the spindle, it will .be seen that the speeclonieter driving mech nisin is readily Jaccessible Without disturbing in' any Way the if'erticel pivot oi the spindle. rhis; arrangement also perniitsthe vertical pivot to be 'arranged close to the revolving plane of the Wheel and the exis.

of the shaft 30 may be between the plane of e gear 29 en the that e description thereof is not a `snbetantielly parallel This will permit the' @eel and parallelv plene'through the wi pivot.

r. te te Figs. 3 inclv l', it will be seen that l have shown a ine-iitiefl form o' the invention in W; ...en the-st, tiene-ry axle i0 is Drei. with the nei '""iil, arranged fr 'sleeves 4]. at the ends thereof, these'sieeves being vprm'ided Win Suitable bushings 42 to receive the 'vertical pivot 430i' the spindie The arrangement oi the speedom- `eter driving ineehenisin in, this niorlilim.-

tion'is the saine es that shown in Figs. 3. :nifl

ser?.

y lfroni Fig. 3 it will. be seen ther. me

exis et' the shaft 30 in this inoclifieiitien also.

lies between the'plene of the Wheel enel a plane. through the t e3. Having described'the. invention. what is eleiinefl iezvi.' ln a motor Vehiclei the eoinbinatinn of e stationery axle having.. a pivot et' the entil the-reef', e steering Wheel soindle monntefl en seid. pivot, :iwheel rot-eta ly mounted. on

said pivot and haring e hub cap .arrangeii it the outer end of the spindle, zi shaft erranged longitiidinelly of said spindle and on the interior thereofanci having its enter en Within the spindle,V and ineansfeonneeteii with the hub cap and having :i shdingfeon- .neetion with the enel of said shaft for operatively connecting the shaft with the hub cap.

2. in e nietor Veliiele,'tlie Combination 'of :i stationery; axle having e pivot et the end thereof, steering wheel spindle. 'mounted on said pivotv e wheel rotatably mounted on seid spindle and having. :1v hub Cap arranged et the outer endL of the spindle@- shft aXi- `:illy arranged. in said spindle, and a member ,Connecteci with the hub vCap and extending into said spindle and having :1 sliding Connection with the end of seid shaft, Where# by the shaft is adapted to be driven from.

the hubV cap.

In testimoniY whereof I affix .in v signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ALLEN LOUMS.

Witnwesses J. H. HUNT, J. B. Boyce. 

